WITH regards to R. Leavis’s letter (ViewPoints, November 30) asking why Hamas set up rocket sites in civilian areas in Gaza.

The answer is that the whole of Gaza is a civilian area, 1.7 million people crammed into 365sq km.

There’s no evidence at all that rocket sites were set up in schools or any other sensitive areas, only Israeli claims – and we know from experience that cannot be relied upon.

The bottom line is that Gaza has the right to defend itself. Between Israel’s last genocidal rampage 2008/9, Operation Cast Lead, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, to the latest Operation Cloud Pillar, which started in November, 271 Palestinians were killed and not a single Israeli. Over the past 10 years Israel has killed an average of more than two Palestinians a day. Clearly for Israel it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

Since the current ceasefire was declared, Israel has continued to kill and kidnap Palestinians. It’s clear that Israel doesn’t “do” ceasefires, their aggression is relentless.

Their latest genocidal rampage was only halted when they realised Iran has supplied Hamas with the technology to produce longer range missiles – it seems Israel can dish it out but can’t take it.

R. LEE, Burford Road, Witney